49ers first-round pick Nick Bosa came under fire prior to the draft because of old social media posts. While the No. 2 overall pick deleted some of the posts and answered questions from media about his social media use, veteran cornerback Richard Sherman doesn’t anticipate it being a problem.
“It’s not like something where guys are like, ‘Hey man, what about what you said?’ No. No. If he can play, he can play. If he can’t play, he won’t be here,” Sherman told Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee. “But at the end of the day, that’s all that matters in football. Is he getting sacks on Sunday? Is he helping our team? Is he being a good teammate? Those are things that matter.”
Bosa’s Twitter feed made news when he said he deleted posts criticizing former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for protesting police brutality and racial injustice. The former Ohio State defensive end said he deleted the tweets when it became clear he could wind up in San Francisco.
He underwent additional scrutiny when it came to light that Bosa ‘liked’ posts on Instagram with racist and homophobic hashtags.
The social media use became a talking point leading up to the draft, but 49ers general manager John Lynch made it clear he was more worried about Bosa as a teammate than Bosa as a social media user. He passed the former test with flying colors.
Sherman, an outspoken supporter of Kaepernick’s, shared the same sentiment regarding Bosa in the locker room.
“Now, if he’s a bad teammate, that’s something we’ll address,” the 31-year-old cornerback said.
It’s been clear throughout the pre-draft process that San Francisco was never worried about Bosa’s viability in the 49ers’ locker room. Sherman, one of the team’s defensive leaders, stepping up to say the social media history isn’t a concern within the confines of the football team, helps explain why it wasn’t something the front office was concerned about.
Had there been questions about Bosa as a teammate, that would’ve been a different story. His social media history certainly isn’t glowing, but it didn’t impact the 49ers’ decision on draft day, and it doesn’t sound like it will affect their locker room.
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